Fewer families get back-to-school aid

About 1,000 applications are being made every day for government help with the cost of sending children back to school.

However, as first payments of the back to school clothing and footwear allowance are made this week, Department of Social Protection figures show 9,000 fewer households have automatically qualified.

In recent years, it has sent the allowance to recipients of qualifying social welfare payments without them needing to apply. However, the numbers getting those automatic payments are down from 114,312 a year ago to over 105,000 families receiving now.